~ ditch the disposables ~

inspired by bean-sprout’s challenge to “ditch the disposables”… i’m on the hunt for something to do the washing up with, that can be re-used and washed. kitchen sponges don’t cut it, besides, kept for long enough they start to lurk on a sparkling clean draining board in a most suspicious way, and the amount of bacteria they must harbour.. *shudders*. i know some boffins say you can nuke the sponges to get rid of the bacteria, but i’ve also read reports of people doing that and setting their microwaves on fire, so … nope, time to ditch the sponges.

so when i’m out shopping, i shall be on the hunt for something to replace them. I have cleaning rags and dishcloths to wipe up with – those get rewashed anyway – i’m actually looking for something that’s slightly abrasive, to match the scouring part of the sponge, because otherwise i could just use a dishcloth.

oh, and preferaby cheap, too. I’ll let you know how i get on..

Update:

got something at Wilkos. i’ve never used them before, they’re called “Scourer Cloths” and you get 3 for 69p. quite thin, stiffish, rough clothes, the question will be: are they washable? i’ll use them anyway (cos not to do so would be a waste) and then wash em. so.. another update in a week or so..

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

4 Responses to “~ ditch the disposables ~”

and I just read the beansprout post, I really really want to switch to cloth “embarassing feminine products” but my darling already informed me he would have serious issues walking into the bathroom and finding them soaking hehe..

LOL i think i know what you mean. Fortunately Michiel is ok with that kind of thing – European men (as opposed to Brits and Americans) seem to be more embarrassed about it. Anyway, have you thought about the mooncup? its a kind of small plastic funnel shaped jobbie that you put inside you, like a tampon, it collects the blood, you fish it out every so often and wash it in the sink, blood drains away (although some women collect the blood and use to fertilise the roses.) no evidence. At the end of your period you sterilise it and put it away. http://www.mooncup.co.uk/ is the site. anyway, no evidence for your partner to see with that one.

i actually did get a brush yesterday too, and while i suppose brushes can be dunked in bleach and/or boiling water to sterilise, i’m not overly keen on them. i like to use my fingers to make sure *every* last bit of gunk is off, because sometimes its hard to see, what with water and suds. Still, at least i have it now, for when its needed.

Also, do you, in the states, have those sort of plastic string bags that are used to hold things like oranges together? if so, then you can collect 2 or 3 of those, remove any labels, then sort of jimmy them together to make a rough pad, and that works well as a makeshift scourer.

Wilkinson’s orange “scourer cloths” are excellent — i’ve used them for about 10 years — they last quite a while, and when they’re finally no use for dishes, they can still be used for floors and surfaces etc — the only problem is they’re no longer available in my local store, and tho they’re in W’s catalog there’s no way of adding them to the basket — i think W has recently reduced the number of lines it’s carrying, and this product seems to be one of the casualties